Printing means



Sept. 20, 1932. (1 w, HEENE 1,878,516

PRINTING MEANS Filed May 31. 1928 INVENTOR 62'. Wfiaaiza Zip- 7 v BY $7M? ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 20, 1932 GEORGE W. HEENE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO PRINTING MEAN S Application filed May 31, 1928. Serial No. 281,736.

My invention relates to printing means generally and more particularly to printing on balls and to printing type structure.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, effective, and easily operable means whereby printing can be performed successfully and within the boundaries of the printing characters on compressible material, even or uneven such as golf balls for instance. Another object is to form the character of a type so that the character can be printed easilyand in sharp outline on uneven surface. Other objects will appear, or become apparent or obvious or will suggest themselves upon an inspection of the accompanying drawing and inthe description of the device shown therein.

In printing, the printing surface of type is inked and brought into contact with the material to be printed upon. When that material is sufficiently hard so that the same does not yield under the printing pressure, the printing can be performed with the usual type but, when this material is compressible under the printing pressure of the type, the ink on the printing surface of the usual type is squeezed out from under the printing surface of the type and is spread out on surface of the material outside of the printing form of the type and thereby does not confine the printing ink within the boundaries'of the printing surface on the type and causes 1mperfect printing as well as blotching of the surface of the material.

In materials with uneven surfaces, such as golf balls for lnstance, suificlent pres sure must be exerted against the surface by the type to depress the high places of the materia-lin orderto reach the low places for complete printing. The usual type has a flat or one level printing face and will not print a full letter or character on uneven surface, the ink will be squeezed out from'under' the type and deposit or spread itself on the surface outside of the boundaries of the letter or character when the surface isof compressible material, and the ink willlikewise spread outside of the boundaries of theletter or character and deposit itself further out on the high places of an uneven compressible surfacethan on the lower places. In either" case, the usual type face will not print a character correctly on either an uneven or compressible surface. i Such type elementsas are'now commonly used in check protectors and the like,'where+ in thetype elements. perforate the paper and ink the edges of the perforationsare not desirable because (first) they must perforate surface and (second) do not confine the inking to within the boundaries of'the printing face of the type. 7

My invention distinguishes from the prior art in thatthe type have means to deposit printing ink on surface printed on within the boundaries of the printing face of the type, while-a printing operation-is being performed on surface of compressible material or uneven material or uneven compressible" material and therebyprint clear characters on even as well as uneven compressible or un com ressible surfaces.

A though I ame aware that various means can be used to attain my object, I have se lected one style of apparatus or device and one style of printing type face to illustrate my invention and will describe the same in detail hereinafter, but this illustration and description do not constitute, nor are intend ed to constitute, a limitation of my inven tion to, the particular'matter so shown described. w 1

In the accompanying drawing mentioned 7 above:: v Fig. 1 isa side view of a ball holding and printing device embodying my invention.

vFig. 2 is an end view of Fig; 1 showing the endwise or sidewise relations of the ele ments f f Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 1 showing the longitudinal, and side'wise relations of 'elements.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section taken in a vertical plane indicated by the line 4-4 injFig. 1 showing interior relations of the elements. Y

level'and depressedportions in the formof serrationson the printing face thereof and be brought into or out Creamer a portion of a golf ball adjacent to the printing face.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 5 showing level ortions as the outline of the character and epressed portions inside of this outline.

Fig. 7 is a section of Fig. 6 taken on the line 7 indicated in Fig. 6 and showing more clearly the structure of the printing face.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the views.

The type carrier A rotates with the shaft 10 journaled in the parallel parts ll'of the bar B which has one end thereof hinged to the pin 13 and has the handle 14 in the other end; the portion inward of the handle extends in and is movable up and down in between theuprightsil5 on the frame C. I

I The inking roller D is journaledin the link 16 hinged to the uprights 15, by means of the pin 17 to permit the roller to; be

brought into and out of contact with the here-V inafter described type. I.-

The inkin ribbon E uprights'12 and over the roller-19 journaled in the link 20 hinged to therframe C meansof the pin21 to permit the ribbon to hereinafter describedtype;

Either the roller D or the be usedindependently' as' desired or both can be used eonjointly when'so desired. Moving 1 11193118 foreitherthe rolleror the ribbon, not

shown in the drawing, can bBQPI'OVlClGd in,

any of the forms well known in the art. The ball :F of compressible material and of uneven surface, such as a golfbalhrests ,in and is rotatable in the socket :22 in the ball holder G on the frame C. Other gball supporting means can be used. The ball can be rotated in the socket by hand or by'other means to effect spacing of the printingthere- The radius of curvature of the bottom of the socket is shorter than the radius of the ball F so that the samerests. on the upperend around the open top of thersocket ,to position the ball laterally or sidewise as well as to support the same vertically for printing thereon. 1

Variously sized balls canvbe. positioned and supported in this manner by the open top of o the socket. Balls'diametrically smaller than the one shown will 1 drop down further into the socket while diametrically larger ones will extend further above the socket;

Each of the type members H has a printing 7 character on one end thereof as the letter A shown in Fig. 5 for instance and ismounted in thecarrier A in such a manner that allof-theprinting characters face ra- I 7 extends over roller 18 journaled'in the uppergend of the;

ink in the grooves or pockets 24 A so formed.

In Figs. 6 and 7, the printing face 24 of the type members is shown with the outline 2430f the letter A even or level and depressions 24G-between the outline. The ends of I the outline 24:B ca n be made sharp to cut mathe uprights 12 on the frame C by means of terial or can be made sufficiently dull so that it willnot cut the material as desired or as found necessary or convenient or advantageous for any particular or general material printed upon. v I

After the ball is inposition in the pocket and the carrier is rotated until the representation of the selected character (A in the present instance) is under the pointer, the

I handle 1A is moved downwardly and thereby moves the carrier and the type downwardly until the face 24 of the selected type contacts the outer surface of the ball. An additional downward pressure on the handle then squeezes someofthe material of the higher A portions 25011 the surface of the ball out of @theway temporarily until the face 24: also contacts the .deeper or lower portions 26 where- ;upon further downward movement of the type is arrested and the ink, deposited on the face 24: by therotation of the carrier and now confined in or retained in the pockets or grooves or depression,.is deposited on the ballsurface within the boundaries of the character selected and is not squeezed out b.- yond these boundaries during the compression of the higher parts of the ball surface.

Dueto the resiliency of the material printed on,-the inkwould be squeezed out beyond the, boundaries of the character onthe type if the-face thereof was smooth or entirely level v and flat in the usual type whereas the facein my invention retains or confines the ink to within the boundaries of the face during the printing operation. I

The characterson the type are cut deeper than usualltofl give the material of the ball more-space to move into when the type moves out the material-of. the ball.

After the printing operation,-the letter appears on the surface of the ball in clear and sharp outline or boundaries 27 I. am aware that my invention is applicable to devices and means other than the, one shown and described as well as that changes can bem'ade in the structure as well as in the arrangement of, elements shown and dedi'ally outwardly so that'any oneofthe char-x 'acters can selectively be broughtrinto pos1-- scribed within the scope of the appended III 2 suchgmaterial. The high points of the SGII'R time aregenerally'not sufficiently sharp to to the precise application of my invention as shown and described nor to the precise structure and arrangement of elements shown and described,

1. A printing means including a frame, a ball holder positionally fixed thereon and having a socket in the top thereof to position a ball definitely sidewise and to support the same vertically on the upper end thereof, an operating bar hinged to said frame, a shaft journaled in said bar, a type carrier on and rotatable with said shaft, type members carried by said-type carrier and moving therewith for upward alinement thereof with said socket and having printing characters thereon of greater length than usual to print the characters thereof in substantially clear outline onto a ball, and printing type inking means having one end thereof positionally fixed on said frame and the other end thereof pivotally supported on said frame and adapted to be moved into and out of inking contact with the type onsaid type carrier.

2. A printing means including a frame, a ball holder positionally fixed thereon and having a socket in the top thereof to position a ball definitely sidewise and to support the same vertically on the upper end thereof, an operating bar hinged to said frame, a shaft journaled in said'bar, a type carrier on and rotatable with said shaft, type members carried by said type carrier and moving therewith for upward alinement thereof with said socket and having printing characters thereon of greater length than usual to print the characters thereof in substantially clear outline onto a. ball, printing type'inking means having one end thereof fixed in position on said frame and the other end pivoted'on said frame and adapted to be moved into and out of inking contact with the type on said type carrier, and indexing means on said shaft to selectively bring any one of said printing types into printing position.

In testimony of the foregoing I afiix my signature.

GEORGE W. HEENE. 

